Samantha Haye

Inspiring Others’ Potential Brings Out Her Strengths

Samantha Haye always had a heart for helping people reach their full potential – as a Bowie State University graduate student, she also learned about her own potential to overcome challenges and achieve her goals.

Haye is set to graduate with a master’s degree in human resource development (HRD), as part of Bowie State’s first-ever virtual commencement celebration. View the ceremony: bowiestate.edu/commencement.

Haye came to BSU seeking to learn to succeed in a diverse world, after earning a bachelor’s degree in entertainment and cultural enterprise management in her native country of Jamaica. At BSU, she joined the International Student Association, becoming the marketing director and then, president. One of her first major tasks as marketing director was to help plan and coordinate BSU’s annual Cultural Fest showcasing student diversity – all within three weeks. Haye saw what was possible. In the end, the group hosted the event, which was one of its most successful Cultural Fest events since she joined.

“I identified the potential in the group among those diverse leaders,” she said. “I’m always a visionary person. For me, the time is always now. That was a challenge for me to see how I could use those lessons from class, those teachable moments, outside of the classroom.”

The HRD program also illuminated talents Haye never knew she had. Consulting with a local business owner on how to retain his staff and leading employee trainings for a youth nonprofit built her confidence in her skills. A group assignment with students from diverse backgrounds taught Haye as much about working effectively with people from different cultures, as she learned about running a successful consulting firm. Her group got an A on their presentation and the course.

“It was an awakening moment. Learning about others and understanding where they are coming from really helps you to build yourself personally,” she said. “Diversity brings to the table a robust set of ideas, setting up a global culture where we are better able to understand each other.”

Looking back at her time at Bowie State, Haye appreciates her professors, who helped her realize her own strengths and how to advance her career in management. She is considering a doctoral degree in organizational development in the future.

“The faculty are full of so much heart, personality and character that is infectious. I always had their ear, advice and direction, whenever I needed it,” she said. “They inspire you to sit in the front row of your own life.”